Automatic boat bailer



April 1,` 1947.

R. L. ENGLE AUTOMATIC BOAT BAILER Filed Sept. 5, v1944 i Patented Apr.1,1947

UNITED STATES PATENT. OFFICEN AUTOMATIC BOAT BAILER Ralph Leo Engle, Oden, Mich.

Application September 5, 1944, Serial No. 552,755

Claims. 1

The present invention relates to a self-hailing device and more particularly to such a bailer in which the bailing is accomplished by the eect produced by the rapid flow of water past a suction inducing member.

I am aware of the fact that this principle is not broadly new and that examples thereof appear in the patent literature. In this connection attention is directed to the patent to Garfield A. Wood, No. 1,578,621, of March 30, 1926, as eX- emplary of the prior art dealing with this type of construction. The bailer described therein is installed through the bottom of the boat with a small cup-like member facing backwards. The ow of water past this member, caused by the forward motion of the boat, creates a vacuum which causes the bilge water to be siphoned from the boats hull.

It has been found, however, that the selfbailing devices of the type described above have the notable objection that they are operable only with a high speed type of boat, speeds of 20 miles per hour or more being required to initiate their operation. In contrast therewith, it has been possible to install a bailer constructed in accordance with the present invention on relatively slow moving craft and still obtain an eiicient hailing action. This is accomplished by positioning the suction producing mechanism behind the boats propeller so that the stream of water forced backward thereby aids in producing the necessary vacuum.

It is, therefore, apparent that one of the primary objects of the invention is to provide an automatic bailer which will function at low speeds or in fact when the boat is stationary if the propeller is turning.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a bailer with which it is possible to commence the hailing action when a higher initial lift of water is necessary than was the case with the previous bailers of this type.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a self-bailer which will operate even when the boat is stationary as when tied to a pier with the motor running and the propeller revolving.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide a combined rudder and self-bailer affording greater economy of construction and effecting substantial conservation of material.

Still another object of the present invention is to produce an automatic bailer of simplified construction which may be easily installed upon practically any type of boat which is screw propelled.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a boat having automatic hailing means which is effective for removing bilge water from the hull of the boat when the boat is moving at a relatively slow speed, of say about 7 miles per hour, or when the boat is moored and the propeller is turning at a rate which would prope1 the boat at the aforementioned speed.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a boat hailing means adapted to be positively actuated to initiate the withdrawal of bilge `water from the hull of a boat by the movement 'of the water forced rearwardly by the propeller.

Other and further objects of the invention will be readily apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a view of the stern of a boat, partly in section, illustrating the manner. in which a preferred form of combined rudder and selfbailer embodying the principles of the invention may be installed;

Figure 2 is an enlarged vertical sectional view taken along the line 2-2 of Figure l;

Figure 3 is an enlarged sectional plan view taken along the line 3-3 of Figure 1;

Figure 4 is an enlarged sectional plan view taken along the line 4-4 of Figure l;

Figure 5 is an enlarged sectional View of a portion of the conduit shown in Figure 1 and illustrates a means of preventing water from siphoning into the hull of the boat when the hailing action has ceased. a

Figure 6 is a plan View of a portion of the conduit shown in Figure 5.

Figure 7 is a View illustrating a modified form of the invention in which the rudder and bailing device are formed separately, but with the bailing device positioned so as to be operated in accordance with the principles of the invention.

Figure 8 is an enlarged sectional plan view taken yon the line 8-8 of Figure 7;

Figure 9 is a sectional plan view of a rudder and modified type of suction member, which can be utilized in the practice of the invention; and

Figure is a vertical sectional view of the modification shown in Figure 9.

Now referring with greater particularity to the drawings it is seen that Figures 1 through 6.illustrate a construction in which the bailing device is associated with the boats rudder and this forms the preferred embodiment of the invention. In the drawings the numeral l generally denotes the hull of the boat, 2 the propeller and 3 the blade of the rudder. A hollow shaft which may comprise sections l! and 5 is positioned rearwardly of the propeller 2, and the lower shaft section 5 is provided with a slot t extending upwardly from its lower end in which the rudder blade 3 is mounted with the upper 'edge of the blade engaging the upper extremity of the slot. The shaft section 5 and the rudder blade 4 are secured together by soldering or welding along thev edges of the slot -so that the two are secured together in a water-tight manner.r mi, c

The hollow shaft l may be V conveniently mounted at the stern of the boat by any suitable means. However, for illustrative purposes the shaft l is shown projecting through an aperture k1in a bearing member 8 set in the bottom Qofft'he hull ofthe boat, and through an aperture Sin `a second'bearin'g member Ill which is positior'i'ed above the bearing member 8 and which has a laterally extending arm Il provided with `an upturned flange l2 secured in any convenient mannerto the sternof the boat. A tiller f3 is secured to the shaftfll and rests upon the Vupper face of the bearing l' to prevent vertical displace- Y`nient of shaft 'll in a downward direction. Vertical displacement vof the shaft t in an upward direction is prevented by causing the upper face of Atheenlarged extension 5 Ato bear against the bearing 84. ne

,Y lT Ioltlfiesides of the rudder blade 3 and the lower end of Vthe yhollow shaftll is secured the suction inducingndevice indicated generally as iii. The suction inducing device I4 may be composed of tworearwardlyaredeportions I5 and It secured topppositesides'of the rudder blade 3 in a diametricallyopposed position by brazingwor other Ysuitable means so as to define Ygenerally wedgeshaped rearwardly opening chambers il and I3.

`Portions land It? surround the lower end of the extension `Efand are secured thereto in a watertight manner so that chambers i'i and i3 communicate with the hollow shaft 4, l y v ,The upper end of the hollow shaft il is provided with a suitable or conventional rotatable watertight connection i9 to the upper end of which is secured the nipple '2b. A short flexible pipe 2| l of vrubber or similar material may conveniently be used to connect the elbow 2U- with a split an- -gular` elbowv 22 inclining downwardly, In the split elbow 22 is a recessed portion 23 adapted to receive a tubular conduit 211 which projects downwardly into the bilge of the boat indicated as 25. The conduit 24 is mounted in any desired positionin the recessedyportion 23 by tightening a nut 26 on a bolt 2'! which extends through two opposed arms 28l which project laterally from both sides of the slot 29 in the split union 22.

, As is clearly shown in Figures 5 and 6 of the (drawings, there is always present an opening 3u which serves to prevent water from being siphonedin 'the reverse direction and into the interior of the boat when the propeller Yhas ceased rotating after a bailing operation. This is ac- Wcomplished by the fact'that the opening allows air to. enter .at this peint, andlbreas the partial vacuum existing in the system. The opening should, of course, not be large enough to interfere substantially with the operation 'of the bail-` ing device and as set forth above the conduit 24 .may be positioned in the recessed portion 23 so as to regulate the size of the opening 30.

Referring now to the modification of the invention illustrated by Figures 7 and 8, it is seen that the rudder and automatic bailing unit are maintained as separate entities. The bailer is, however, as before positioned directly behind the boats propeller so that the backwardly iiowing stream of water therefrom aids in producing the vacuum necessary for the operation of the bailer. In'this construction the numeral 3| denotes the suction inducing device itself. This device may consist of a rearwardly flaring wedge shaped structure having a bottom portion 32, a top portion 33k and side members 34 and 35. This structure 'defines a chamber 35 which is open at its rearward end and closed at its forward end.

A hollow conduit 377 communicates with the interior of chamber 36 through an aperture 38 in the upper portion 33 of the suction inducing member n3l to which it is secured by welding, brazing or other suitable means so asnto provide a water-tight seal. TheV yconduit 3'! projects through a bushing 39 linthe bottom of thejboat and to the upper end of the conduitcj'l is` secured a conventional rotatable connection {db which may be conveniently seated upon fthe uppersurface lof the bushingf'. -Thejconnection'dll is pref erably made rotatable so `that' a Ytube flLconnected thereto by anysuitable means andshovvn only in part, which projects into thefbilge foftl'ie boat in a manner similar to thatiillustratedin Figurevl, can be readily swung to different posi'- tions as desired. e Y

y As was the case 'with ,the embodiment of thfe invention illustrated by Figures 1 through :6 and described in 'connection there'with,"s"r`ne means must be provided for 'preventing the si'pho'nfiiig of water in a reverse direction 'when the'popller has ceased rotating and the bailifi'g action discontinued. `If the conduit communioatiiigwith the bilge rises'to `ay point l'above `the water line, the niean'sinay 'again consist of a small `air openinga't such 'a point, or in any case a'conventional check valve could'be 'interposed `at some point in the conduit. Y

u Figures 9 Aand 10 of thefdraw'ings Villus't'rate fa modified form of suction induoihgmeinber, which vis adaptable to either Yof theembodiments ofthe present ,im/entren described ebeve, "aithougiifit is illustrated only Yinconnection withhthe p'eferred form in which the suction mrnberis ViSfs'J- ciatedwith Vthe rudder. In this mod'ication'the Venturi principle is utilized to provide an yefficient form of suction inducing device. 'l

v In the drawings,v thefnuinerals mand 43 indicate YIn'e'rnbe'rs having convex surfacesf'lll land it of similar configuration rigidly to vboth sidesuof the rudder bladet'in diametrically opposed position Extending between members ft2 and Il?, so as to communicate v'wi'ththe 'inner 'perugia or the hollewshaft't.

A Surrounding the structu'reifjusltV described are rearwardly flaring channell shapedlmen'ibefsl and '49 rigidly psitionedwith'respect'theretowso as to define passageways e and 5l through which water israpidly forced by the action of the boats propeller. The channel members 48 and 49 seal off the bottom of the extension in a watertight manner as is clearly shown in Figure l0 of the drawings.

The remainder of the construction to be used with this modification of the invention may be the same as that shown and described in the embodiment of the invention embraced by Figures 1 through 6 of the drawings.

rlhe operation of the invention is, of course, readily understood. 1n every case the water rushing past the suction inducing device creates a partial vacuum which causes the bilge water to be drawn through the conduit and ejected from the boat.

As an operable example of the preferred form of my invention there is furnished the following data obtained as the result of a test made therewith:

The bailer was installed on a boat having a top speed of approximately 27 miles per hour equipped with a 60 H. l?. motor, developing a maximum of 3,000 R. l?. M.s and a three bladed propeller of ll inch diameter and 12 inch pitch. The bailer began to operate when the motor had developed 1200 revolutions per minute which corresponds to a speed of about 7 or 8 miles per hour. It was found that even when the boat was held stationary, as by mooring, bailing commenced at 1200 revolutions per minute.

It was also discovered that by speeding the motor up to 1600 revolutions per minute bailing could be initiated by siphoning water up over a loop inches high whereas the conventional type bailer has a lift of approximately 13 inches.

Having described my invention, I claim:

1. A self-hailing device for a boat having a bilge comprising in combination: a rudder having a blade and a hollow rudder shaft rigidly fastened to said blade; a suction inducing device carried by said rudder' and communicating with said hollow shaft; and a conduit communicating with said hollow shaft and extending into the bilge of the boat.

2. A self-bailing device for a boat having a bilge, comprising: a rudder blade; a rearwardly flaring structure having a top, bottom and one side, the lateral inner edges of said top and bottom being rigidly secured to one side of said blade; a hollow shaft rigidly attached to said blade and communicating with the interior of said rearwardly flaring structure; means for turning said shaft; a rotatable, water-tight connection fitted on the upper end of said hollow shaft; and a conduit communicating at its one end with said rotatable connection and at its other end with the bilge of said boat.

3. A self-hailing device for a boat having a bilge, comprising: a rudder blade; two rearwardly flaring structures each having a top, bottom and one side, the lateral inner edges of the top and bottom of one of said structures being rigidly secured to one of the sides of said rudder blade, and the corresponding edges of the other of said members being secured to the other of said rudder blade in a diametrically opposed position; a hollow shaft, divided for a portion of its length, rigidly secured to both sides of said rudder blade throughout said divided portion, with one portion of said shaft communicating with the interior of one of said outwardly flaring structures and with the other portion of said shaft communicating with the interior of the other of said outwardly flaring structures; means for turning said shaft; a rotatable, water-tight connection fitted on the upper end of said hollow shaft; and a conduit communicating at its one end ,with said rotatable connection and at its other end with the bilge of said boat.

4. In a boat having a bilge, the combination of a propeller; a rudder including a blade; means dening a rearwardly opening chamber rigidly secured to at least one side of said blade; a hollow shaftfrigidly-attached to said blade and communicating with the interior of said chamber; and a conduit communicating with said hollow shaft and extending into the bilge of said boat; said rudder and said means defining a chamber attached thereto being positioned so as to be in the path of the stream of water forced backward by said propeller.

5. A self-hailing device for a boat having a bilge comprising a rudder blade; a hollow shaft rigidly attached to said blade; a suction inducing device including means for defining a rearwardly opening chamber carried by said rudder and communieating with said hollow shaft; means for turning said hollow shaft; and means for rotatably connecting said hollow shaft with a conduit which extends into the bilge of said boat.

6. A self-hailing device for a boat having a bilge comprising in combination: a rudder having a blade and a hollow shaft rigidly attached to said blade; a Venturi suction producing device carried by said rudder communicating with said hollow shaft; and a conduit communicating with said hollow shaft and extending into the bilge of said boat.

A self-bailing device for a boat having a screw propeller anda bilge, comprising in combination: a rudder; a suction inducing device carried by said rudder; and a conduit communicating with said suction inducing device and extending into the bilge of said boat, the arrangement being such that said suction inducing device is positioned in the water directly behind and adjacent to said propeller so as to be in the path of the stream of water forced backward thereby.

8. A self-hailing device for a boat having a screw propeller and a bilge, comprising in combination: a rudder; a Venturi suction inducing device carried by said rudder; and a conduit communicating with said Venturi suction inducing device and extending into the bilge of said boat, the arrangement being such that said Venturi suction inducing device is positioned in the water directly behind and adjacent to said propeller so as to be in the path of the stream of water forced backward thereby.

9. A self-hailing device for a boat having a screw propeller and a bilge, comprising in combination: a rudder having a blade portion; a suction inducing device carried by said blade portion; and a conduit communicating with said suction inducing device and extending into the bilge of said boat, the arrangement being such that said suction inducing device is positioned in the water directly behind and adjacent to said propeller so as to be in the path of the stream of water forced backward thereby.

10. A self-bailing device for a boat having a screw propeller and a bilge, comprising in combination: ay rudder having a blade portion; a Venturi suction inducing device carried by said blade portion; and a conduit communicating with said Venturi suction inducing device and extending into the bilge of said boat, the arrangement being such that said Venturi suction inducing 7 devce is positioned in the Water directly behind Number Vand, adjacent to said propeller so as to be in v1,159,946 the path -of the stream of water forced backward 1,554,244 thereby. 1,578,621 RALPH LEO ENGLE. 5 1,669,276 1,900,180 REFERENCES CITED `2,120,858 A The following references `are of record in the 1 1le of this patent. 10 Number UNITED STATES PATENTS 694,504 Number Name l Datev 871318 V934,373 Thompson Sept. 14, 1909 Name Date Jamison e rr e v Nov. 9, 1915 Verville 1 Sept. 22, 1925 Wood -f -r -Mar. 30, 1926 Baldwin v .Y. Y May 8, 1928 Harveyl Mar. 7, 1933 Davant 1 June 14, -1938 FOREIGN PATENTS Country Date Germany Y 1 Aug. 2, 1940 Sweden Sept. 8, 1936 

